Titanium
by LoveTiva
Summary: Completely Tiva. A one-shot for the aftermath of the episode Damned If You Do (10x24). Reviews are welcomed!


_The SF was good and I cannot wait for September to get here! It's going to be a long four months at this point. This is a one-shot from their POV's after the end of the last episode. I feel like this could possibly happen, but it is just a little fluff until September. I don't think anyone knows where the show is going to pick up when it comes back. We can only hope that Tony and Ziva get closer. The whole friend zone wasn't my favorite part because it is time they should get together. Well...I will stop rambling so you can read. Reviews are welcomed! Enjoy reading and sorry if there are some grammatical errors. Editing is not my strong suit. Well enjoy!_

* * *

It seemed like it had been a longer day than usual, but the three of them had come to a conclusion. They had decided to turn in their badges and resign from NCIS. McGee was right because Gibbs would have done the same for them in a heartbeat. Now Gibbs was off doing some top secret mission, not even Tony knew what it was about.

He had an empty feeling as his entered his apartment. At the same time it was unfamiliar for him to turn his badge in. He felt around his belt, but was met with an overwhelming sensation of emptiness. He realized he didn't have a job at this point either. _What the hell was he going to do now? _He didn't have to go into work tomorrow or repeatedly get head slapped by Gibbs.

He had a feeling that tomorrow the three of them would need to come up with a plan. They had a whole mess of a situation they were in and they needed to move onto the next part of the plan.

He retrieved a beer from the fridge. He sat down on his couch, cradling the cold drink in his hands. He let his mind drift to the next important thing on his mind.

_Ziva._

She had apologized to him, which was a big step for her. She never wanted to seem weak. She always wanted to be strong, making him think of titanium for some odd reason. Ziva never liked to admit that she was wrong, let alone apologize for it. He only assumed she saw the hurt in his expression when she admitted to sleeping with Adam.

The phrase he repeated not too long ago replayed over and over in his head.

"_Aht lo leh-vahd," he had whispered in her ear._

He had truly meant those words and thought she knew he meant it.

"_I know," she gave him a sad smile before walking off to the plane, leaving him feeling alone in that moment. _

Obviously she didn't because then she wouldn't have slept with Adam. _Oh Adam_! If he had known when he met the guy that he slept with Ziva, he definitely wouldn't have invited him to play basketball. He probably would have done way worse to the guy.

_What did that guy have that he didn't? _Hell he was more of a man than that Adam was.

She still didn't have to sleep with him though. He knew they weren't an actual couple, but couldn't she see that he loved her. He was in _love _with her so much, causing it to hurt himself sometimes. She could have called him, but she chose not to. He would have answered for her on the first ring. All she had to do was pick up the damn phone and call him. _Was that so hard?_

Now he was sitting alone in his apartment when he could be with _her. _He thought by now their relationship could have improved a lot. It seemed like when they took a step forward it was twelve steps back. It was constantly a game of winning and losing.

Today had been a loss because she had played the friend zone card. He could tell she really did care by the way she looked at him and got his attention when he looked away. She really did care. _But why had she stuttered when she said friendship_?

Maybe she was going to say something else, but changed her mind at the last second. She didn't want it to be awkward for them or their _friendship. _

In that moment he realized he had to control himself. He wanted to kiss her on the lips. Maybe she would understand then and feel the same way. Instead, he kissed her on the forehead and she froze against him. Just that action alone made him feel like she didn't feel the same way.

He thought hopefully that would get through to her as something more than friends. After that she just looked at him and smiled. He couldn't tell what she was thinking and that was one of the things he hated about her. Sometimes he couldn't tell what she was thinking, when he desperately wanted to know.

She had opened up to him a lot this year, which was one of the things he was grateful for. He had tried so hard to forget about Ziva David and move on, but he couldn't. It wasn't that simple because it was far more complicated than that. _He was so madly in love with her!_

He couldn't just drop everything and leave her. If this was it then that was it. It was better to be friends than not to know her at all. He just hoped that maybe a little part of her understood how he felt and maybe had the exact same feelings.

He leaned back into the couch cushions, lost in his own thoughts. If someone asked him if he ever loved someone he would say…_Yes! _The only women he would only ever truly love was…

_Ziva David._

* * *

She didn't know what to think now. The only father figure she felt like she truly had was away on a mission. She didn't have him to go to or let alone a job right now. _What was she supposed to do now?_ She couldn't just sit by and watch her family fall apart right in front of her. She needed to do something and needed someone to talk to.

She turned the key in the ignition, shutting the car off. She looked at the light coming from the window. She knew he was still up because she couldn't even sleep with all of the events that happened lately.

They had turned _their _badges in. They had all agreed to do it together because Gibbs would have done that same for them.

She knew there would not be a happy ending. After everything that had happened in the past year, she didn't know if there was such a thing as a happy ending. She wanted to believe that she would eventually get a happy ending, but she was starting to have doubts. That's when her mind drifted towards him.

_Tony._

She thought that maybe he could give her the happy ending she always sort of wanted in a way. She knew he was in love with her. He had showed it many times these past eight years that they were partners.

She thought she really understood it in the car that night, but that was taken away just as quick as it happened. That moment in the car with him made her feel like she could get a happy ending. But it had turned to chaos once Bodnar had hit their car.

She went in to revenge mode right after the accident. Everything just seemed to get out of hand and now she didn't have a job. She was also sitting in front of her best friend's house, afraid to go in to talk to him. This was her opening herself up. She wanted him to feel like she needed him. She really did need _him _in her life.

She had apologized to him, which was a big thing for her. He had looked away when she said it, but she got his attention back just as quick. She knew after the conversation he believed her and they went back to just being friends.

She realized she had stuttered at the mention of _friendship. _In a way she felt like she loved him, but this was new territory for her. He had fallen in love with her long ago, she could tell. She just wasn't ready to admit to herself that she had feelings for him. _Maybe now was the time. _Nothing was standing in her way. Gibbs was off on some secret mission and there was no rule number twelve.

At the same time she was afraid. She knew he would love her no matter what. _What if it didn't work out?_ She had so many thoughts about the subject. She didn't know what way to turn or how to feel.

She didn't want it to be awkward between them either. She had stated that plainly to him in their conversation earlier. He had agreed that there was nothing awkward between friends. Then he stilled her to kiss her on the forehead. It was quick, but she knew it was more than a friendly gesture.

His lips were warm, but it was only a split second. His lips made contact with her skin, but then as quickly they were gone. She didn't know what to say to him after that, but just simply smiled.

Things had gotten out of hand lately and changed drastically. She just needed someone to talk to and she knew he would always be there.

She opened her car door, making the familiar way to his apartment. She hesitated, before knocking on the door.

* * *

He had danced around those three little words for so long. Maybe it was time for him to say those three words to her. _I love you._ It sounded easier in his head then to say it out loud. He was scared she wouldn't feel the same way. Their friendship was just back on track. They had just gotten past the whole Adam situation. _What would this do to their relationship if he said those three little words?_ Those words could have a huge impact on their lives. It was just getting past the awkwardness after he had given her the cold shoulder for the last week. He didn't want to scare her and have her run off now.

She would for sure build those walls around herself. The same walls it had taken years for him to peel back. When those walls were open she was different, she opened up more, making him feel like he was involved in her life.

He didn't have anything standing in his way. He didn't have Gibbs or rule number twelve for that matter. There were no more rules to follow. _Then why couldn't he just tell her he loved her?_

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He looked at the clock on the piano. It was close to midnight. _Who would be here at this hour?_ He stood up and walked to the door. He wasn't expecting to see her standing on his doorstep at this hour.

He couldn't tell what she was thinking. Her eyes seemed to give away many different emotions.

_Fear? Anger? Happiness? Sadness?_

She didn't say anything, but just smiled at him.

"Ziva?" he questioned, opening the door wider for her.

"Tony, I…" she smiled, moving closer to him.

He wasn't expecting for her to hug him, but she did. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. It took his brain a second to register what she was doing, before he wrapped his arms around her small frame.

She pulled back, placing a light kiss on the lips, before entering his apartment.

He stood at the door, baffled by the sudden gesture. He watched as she walked further into his apartment.

She looked at him, indicating for him to come in and close the door.

He just looked at her and smiled.

_Just maybe, maybe she felt the same way he did._


End file.
